Volleyball

Captain Trần Thị Thanh Thúy (No 3) make outstanding performance in Việt Nam's 3-0 win over Australia at the Asian Senior Women's Volleyball Championship on September 3 in Thailand. VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam made history after winning a place in the semi-finals of the Asian Senior Women's Volleyball Championship for the first time on September 3 in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.

Hard-hitting Trần Thị Thanh Thúy scored a match-high 17 points to lift Việt Nam to a sensational 25-15, 25-15, 25-21 win against Australia in a Pool E clash in the round of Top 8 at the Chartchai Hall.

Việt Nam, which won the 2023 Asian Women’s Club Championship under the Centre Sport 1’s banner, has yet to lose a match in this tournament.

Their stunning victory against South Korea earlier in the first group round made the 2023 AVC Challenge Cup champions one of the strongest teams to be reckoned with.

The 1.93m-tall Thúy used her height advantage to attack powerfully and block solidly to help Việt Nam take an initial 14-9 lead in the first set.

Australia bounced back, with middle blocker Kara Inskip and opposite hitter Emma Burton unleashing back-to-back attacks to give Việt Nam a tough going.

However, the Vietnamese counter-attacked aggressively to score crucial points and wrapped up the set 25-15.

The Southeast Asian side continued dominating the second set to lead with a seven-point clear at 9-2.

Australia again came back, scoring from powerful attacks by Annelies Jones along with scintillating blocks by Beth Carey and Rebecca Redgen to reduce the gap to 14-22.

But it seemed late for them as Việt Nam stormed on to take the set 25-15.

Vietnamese Nguyễn Thị Kiều Trinh hits a ball during the Pool E match between Việt Nam and Australia. Việt Nam win 3-0. Photo of AVC

The third set clearly went to the Vietnamese. They led 8-1 and took control of the scoreboard, establishing a five-point lead at 20-15 before capturing the set at 25-21 and the match.

It was the second meeting between the two sides within the last two weeks. Việt Nam also trounced Australia 3-0 in the annual International VTV Cup 2023 in Lào Cai Province.

The Sunday victory sealed Việt Nam's place in the semi-finals for the continental top four teams.

In the other match of the group, hosts Thailand beat spirited South Korea 25-20, 25-22, 25-23 in hard-fought three-setter.

For Thailand, the exceptional win was a repeated feat as they had already beaten South Korea in straight sets during their match of the 2023 Volleyball Nations League in June in Antalya, Turkey.

Việt Nam will play Thailand while South Korea will meet Australia in the next fixture of the group. VNS